Estie does not always like people. So when her grandmother reminds her to be a mensch, she'd rather not. She'd rather be a dog. Or a turtle. Or a seagull. Being a monkey can even make another kid laugh! But it can also make another kid cry, and that's when Estie and her grandmother find out what a mensch Estie can really be.

In 1942, Gestapo agents knocked on the door of the Lewyn family. Bert Lewyn was a teenager, only 18 years old. Like thousands of other Jewish families, Bert, his mother and father were all arrested and taken away. His parents were deported to a concentration camp and Bert was conscripted as a slave laborer, forced to work in a weapons factory building machine guns for the German Wehrmacht. This is the story of Berts escape and subsequent struggle to survive on his own, living underground in Nazi Berlin.

Live a more satisfying life and improve relationships by giving more of yourself to others. Who doesn't want to be a mensch? Someone who exudes kindness, integrity, and honor. The type of person who knows what to say when a friend's loved one passes away or how to react with empathy and grace when someone at work is being a total schmuck. The kind of person your bubbie or grandma would be proud of. Getting into the mensch mindset takes practice. But simple shifts in your approach to everyday interactions can help you find your inner mensch, revitalizing and strengthening your personal and professional relationships and the values you pass on to your family. A collection of humorous stories and practical advice-sprinkled with a healthy dose of Yiddish humor-Be a Mensch shows how to incorporate kindness into your daily life and help others through difficult situations. It challenges you to get off your tuches and get involved, not only to help others but to improve your own life too.

Character development requires time, energy and commitment. Why bother? Learn from the authors of Be a Mensch; Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, MD. Menshlichkeit is the key to happiness. Howard Jonas. Good character is good business Professor Robert J. Aumann, PHD. Game Theory proves that good character builds stable, positive relationships Yakir Kaufman, MD. Good character traits are the key to good health, Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb, PHD. Character development is essential to tapping our maximum potential. Judith Mishell, PhD. Good character leads to greater happiness and self-esteem. Editor Moshe Kaplan, MD, has assembled people who have achieved society s most wanted list of financial and professional goals, and they are telling us that the most important achievement in life is character development. Let this book change your life!

Becoming a Mensch is a 'user's guide' to becoming a better person, taking readers through a process of personal growth by means of modern-day vignettes that draw upon the Talmud's ancient wisdom. By examining character traits such as 'kindness and compassion,' 'self-mastery and self discipline,' and 'humility and flexibility,' readers of any or no faith learn what it takes to become a 'mensch' —- a decent and honorable human being. Readers are introduced to the greatest sages of the Talmudic era and many modern masters of ethical behavior. Becoming a Mensch is not only a guidebook for personal growth —- it is also a useful guide for parents who want to foster the ethical development of their children.